Tunnel driving shield having pivotally mounted drilling boom



TUNNEL DRIVING SHIELD HAVING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED DRILLING BOOM Filed July 14. 1967 G. KAMPF-EMDEN Sept. 30, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor 62HA120 K4 MPF- fMOfA/ P 30, 1969 a. KAMPF-EMDEN 3,469,884

TUNNEL DRIVING SHIELD HAVING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED DRILLING BOOM Filed July 14. 1 967 2 Sheets-Sheet "i I I Inventor 6601/4 e0 AAMPF- snoav A T TOPNE Y5 United States Patent 50,879 Int. Cl. E21d 23/08; E21e 25/00 US. Cl. 299-33 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tunnel excavating device includes a tubular shield which is advanced through the tunnel which is being bored and which includes cutting edges at its inner end for facilitating the advance thereof. A swivel mount for a drilling or cutting tool boom is secured to the upper half portion of the inner end of the tubular shield leaving the lower half portion free for the removal of the material which is cut away by the drilling tool as the tunnel is advanced. The swivel mount provides a vertical axis mount for the drilling boom on a swivel sleeve which is pivotal around a horzontal axis so that the boom is universally movable. The boom carries a drill shaft portion which may be advanced or retracted :as desired in order to orient a rotating drill head or mining head in respect to the ground being excavated. The arrangement is such that the drilling head may be oriented outwardly in front of the shield at :any desired angle in order to remove the material ahead of the shield so that it can be continuously advanced as its boring proceeds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates, in general, to tunnel-boring apparatus and method of excavating a tunnel and, in particular, to a new and useful tunnel-boring device which includes a surrounding protective shield which is oriented at the end face of the tunnel to be excavated and which provides a universal mounting of a drill member which may be advanced into the ground to bore the tunnel.

When driving a tunnel particularly close to the surface, it must be expected that different rock formations will be met varying from salt rock tending to break easily to the stronger rock with hard interspersed bodies in the form of erratic blocks. When boring tunnels of large diameters,

attempts have been made to mechanize the driving and advance of the boring equipment, but all of these have meet with considerable difficulties. The difliculties appear primarily in respect to concentrically rotating oscillating type disk-type milling cutters which are arranged in the tunnel cross section. These difliculties are particularly acute in respect to the drilling of hard materials with erratio blocks enclosed in the end face. In such instances, the milling cutter will operate to grind the erratic block with only some of its milling tools without achieving any mining progress or tunnel advance. The engaged milling tool will be subject to great wear or even destroyed.

A further difliculty is encountered with the known devices when the shield drive must be changed from softer rock formations to harder formations like limestone, for example. In soft formations, the procedure is to first force the shield into the closed end face by hydraulic presses which force the front cutting edge of the shield to engage into the material at the edge of the portion of the tunnel which has been excavated. The core of rock engaged by the front portion of the shield is then mined by means of the milling cutters. The milling cutters which such constructions, however, do not go beyond the outside diameter of the shield. When changing to hard rock for- 3,469,884 Patented Sept. 30, 1969 "ice mations, it is no longer possible to press the shield into the closed end face and a corresponding space must be cut free to facilitate the advance of the milling cutters. This cannot be done readily with the apparatus which is presently known. The known apparatus requires that the milling cutter be mounted on the tunnel section and the construction is very expensive. In addition, the known devices are characterized by great bulkiness so that it is difficult to effect major repairs. The end face is diflicult to reach and cannot be observed by the operator and this is particularly annoying when erratic blocks are encountered.

'In accordance with the present invention, the drilling apparatus includes a swivel mount for a drilling boom which is adapted to be connected at diametrically opposite sides of the tunnel shield and anchored at the upper portion of the tunnel shield, leaving the bottom free for the removal of the excavated materials. The swivel mount carries a drilling boom which may be oriented at any desired angle in respect to the material to be drilled away and the end of the drill may be advanced as desired in order to penetrate both soft and hard materials. The apparatus thus makes the constructional expenditures very minimal and considerable space is provided for access to the drilling equipment and for removal of the waste. A particular feature of the construction is that the drill may be oriented so as to cut away materials ahead of the shield, if desired, or the shield may be moved forwardly into the material to be excavated in the event that soft material is encountered.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved tunnel driving apparatus which includes a surrounding tubular tunnel shield and a swivel mount mounted on the upper half thereof which carries a drilling boom which may be pivoted about horizontal and vertical axes of the mount so that it may be oriented at any angle for drilling away the material of the tunnel and for facilitating the advance of the shield as the drilling proceeds.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tunnel driving apparatus which includes a surrounding tunnel shield having a forward cutting edge which may be advanced into the material to be excavated and which provides a mounting for a mining head which may be oriented when very hard materials are encountered to cut away the material ahead of the shield to facilitate its advance; or when the material being excavated is soft to cut away the material only after the shield has been advanced into the material at the closed end of the tunnel being excavated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tunnel excavating device which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference is had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a mining apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1.

3 DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the drawings, in particular, the invention embodied therein comprises a tunnel-boring or driving apparatus which includes a tubular driving shield 1 having a cutting edge 112 for facilitating the advance of the shield into the material at the unexcavated end of the tunnel being excavated. The tunnel includes an inner wall 1a and an outer wall In braced by reinforcing elements 18.

In accordance with the invention, a universal mounting or swivel mounting generally designated 2 is secured to the upper half of the tunnel leaving the lower half 4 available for the removal of the excavated material. The swivel mount 2 provides a mounting for a boom generally designated 3 which includes a cylinder portion 9 which is pivotally mounted on a vertical pivot member 8 of a swivel cylinder 7. The swivel cylinder 7 is mounted for movement about a horizontal axis on side cylinder supports 5 and 5. The side cylinder supports carry adjustable divergent securing legs 6 which are secured at diametrically opposite sides of the inner wall 1a of the shield 1. Pivotal movement of the boom 3 about the horizontal axis is effected by actuating a fluid cylinder 12 to vary the position of a piston rod member 12a which is slidable upon application of a fluid control pressure to the cylinder through lines (not shown) for rotating the swivel cylinder 7 about the supporting cylinder members 5 and 5'. The fluid cylinder 12 is secured to a bracket 13 which is secured directly above the swivel cylinder 7 to the inner wall 1a.

The cylindrical portion 9 provides a housing for a motor and transmission (not shown) for rotating a shaft member generally designated 14, carrying a mining head or drill 15. The shaft member includes a portion 14a which is axially movable in respect to an inner portion 14b in order to permit extension and retraction of the mining head 15. The portions 14a and 14]; are connected such as by splining so that they rotate together at all axial positions. The extension and retraction mechanism is also contained in the housing 9 but is not represented.

Pivotal movement of the boom 3 about a vertical axis is effected by regulation of the fluid to cylinders and 10' which are pivotally mounted on pivot elements 20 and 22 carried at spaced locations on the swivel cylinder 7. The cylinders 10 and 10' carry piston rod portions 10a and 10a which are pivotally connected at 11 and 11, respectively, to the boom housing 9 and movement of the piston rod members 10a and 10a in their respective cylinders is effective to shift the housing 9 of the boom 3 either to the left or to the right for the purpose of orienting the drill head 15 against the earth material to be excavated.

The mining apparatus according to the invention operates as follows:

When soft rock formations are encountered, the shield 1 is first pushed to that its cutting edge 1b is directed into the unworked end face. Thereafter the end face is cut away or mined by means of the mining head 15. The mining is effected by pushing the mining head 15 axially into the core and the core is then mined by lateral traverse of the boom 3. In order to keep the curvature of the end face smaller, it is possible to work in the tunnel center with the mining head at substantially a retracted position and to work toward the circumference by adjusting the shaft portions 14a and 14b to extend the mining head outwardly. When hard rock is encountered, particularly ahead of the protective shield 1, it is a simple matter to orient the boom 3 so that the cutting head may be moved through the dotted line positions indicated 16 in FIG. 1 to out the material away ahead of the shield so that it may be easily advanced. After this is done, the shield may be advanced without any difiiculty.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown nad described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles. What is claimed is:

1. A tunnel boring apparatus comprising a tubular tunnel driving shield adapted to be positioned in the tunnel as it is bored and advanced along the tunnel as the boring proceeds, a swivel mount secured to said driving shield and extending across said shield substantially at the center thereof, a drilling boom carried by said swivel mount and being pivotal in substantially all directions about horizontal and vertical axes, the space in said shield below said swivel mount being unobstructed, and a drilling head carried by said boom being movably outwardly and inwardly for positioning the head in respect to the material being excavated.

2. A tunnel boring device according to claim 1, wherein said driving shield is of double wall re-inforced construction and provides a supporting base for said swivel mount.

3. A tunnel boring device according to claim 1, wherein said driving shield includes an 'outer cutting edge which may be advanced into the material to be excavated, said boom being movable to drill the material away ahead of the cutting edge of the shield in the event that it is unusually hard.

4. A tunnel boring device according to claim 1, a fluid pressure operated cylinder secured to said tunnel shield .above said swivel mount and having a piston rod displaceable therein engageable with said swivel mount for pivoting said swivel mount about a substantially horizontal axis.

5. A tunnel boring device according to claim 1, wherein said swivel mount comprises a swivel cylinder pivotal about substantially a horizontal axis, support means pivotally supporting said swivel cylinder and connected to opposite sides of said driving shield, and a drill housing pivotally mounted on said swivel cylinder for pivotal movement about a substantially vertical axis.

6. A tunnel boring device according to claim 5, wherein said supporting means includes a plurality of supporting arms diverging outwardly adjacent each end of said swivel cylinder and engaging a wall of said tunnel driving shield.

7. A tunnel boring device according to claim 5, including a drilling boom housing pivotally mounted on said swivel cylinder for pivotal movement about a substantially vertical axis, and fluid pressure cylinder means connected to said housing for shifting said housing about said vertical axis.

8. A tunnel boring device according to claim 7, including a drilling shaft rotatable in said housing and being movable inwardly and outwardly in respect thereto and carrying said drilling bead thereon.

9. A tunnel boring device for use with a tubular driving shield which is adapted to be advanced through the tunnel as it is bored, comprising a swivel cylinder adapted to extend across the center of the tubular driving shield, support means connected to said swivel cylinder for supporting said cylinder for pivotal movement about its longitudinal axis and adapted to be connected between diametrically opposite locations of the tubular driving shield, an extensible boom member having a drilling head at its one end and having an opposite end pivoted on said swivel cylinder about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis of said swivel cylinder, and means associated with said swivel cylinder for pivoting said boom member about the axis normal to the axis of said swivel cylinder and for pivoting said swivel cylinder about its longitudinal axis, said swivel cylinder being substantially unobstructed on at least one side to leave the space in the driving shield unobstructed on this side.

10. A tunnel boring device, according to claim 9, wherein said means for pivoting said boom member and said swivel cylinder comprises a fluid pressure operated piston and cylinder combination mounted on said swivel cylinder and connected to said boom member for shifting said boom member about the axis normal to the axis of said longitudinal axis of said swivel cylinder, and a fluid pressure operated second piston and cylinder combination connected to said swivel cylinder and adapted 5 to be connected to the wall of the driving shield for pivoting said swivel cylinder about its longitudinal axis.

11. A tunnel boring device, according to claim 10, wherein said spport means comprises a cylindrical support adapted to extend outwardly from each end of said swivel cylinder and a plurality of securing legs mounted on said cylinder support and adapted to extend outwardly therefrom into engagement with the tubular driving shield.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS US. Cl. X.R. 

